Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 50
॥
Devanāgarī
केशव क्लेशहरण नारायण जनार्दन ।
गोविन्द परमानन्द मां समुद्धर माधव
Transliteration (IAST)
keśava kleśaharaṇa nārāyaṇa janārdana |
govinda paramānanda māṁ samuddhara mādhava
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
केशवkeśavaO Keśava; fair-haired one, conqueror of Keśī
क्लेशहरणkleśaharaṇaremover of torments; who takes away the kleśas
नारायणnārāyaṇaO Nārāyaṇa; refuge of men
जनार्दनjanārdanaO Janārdana; who stirs men, to whom men turn
गोविन्दgovindaO Govinda; Herdsman
परमानन्दparamānandaO Supreme Bliss; Paramānanda
माम् समुद्धरmām samuddharalift me out wholly; draw me forth completely
माधवmādhavaO Mādhava; husband of Fortune, the sweet one
Translation
O Keśava, remover of torments! O Nārāyaṇa, Janārdana! O Govinda, Supreme Bliss! Lift me out wholly, O Mādhava.
Version
940c2281fa88 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The hymn's last verse consists almost entirely of names — seven addresses in two lines — and this is its natural close: when everything has been said, what remains is to call by name.
The names are drawn from different circles. Keśava and Janārdana are from the epic and the Purāṇas; Nārāyaṇa from Vedic theology, "the refuge of men"; Govinda and Mādhava from Vraja. The hymn, begun with the word "He of all forms", ends with a list of the most everyday names.
Among them stands one thing that is not a name but a description: kleśa-haraṇa, "remover of torments". The kleśas are the same five root flaws spoken of in the very first mantra, where He was called akliṣṭa-kārin. The hymn returns to its beginning.
The verb is strengthened by a prefix: samuddhara — "lift me out wholly", draw me out to the end. In verse 48 the plea was uddhara, here sam-uddhara: the same request, but more insistent.
So end Brahmā's twelve verses. Next he will turn to the sages and say why all this was told.